Electrical-controller attachment.



PATENTED OCT. 25, 1904.

A. H. MATHEWSON.

ELECTRICAL CONTROLLER ATTACHMENT.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 7, 1904.

H0 MODEL.

Fzlq. 1.

m I n M m I I Patented October 25, 1904.

PATENT EETcE.

ALBERT H. MATHEWVSON, OF THOMPSONVILLE, CONNECTICUT.

ELECTRICAL-CONTROLLER ATTACHMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 773,213, dated October 25, 190

7 Application filed April 7, 1904.

T0 (LZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALBERT H. MATHEWSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Thom psonville, in the county'of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Electrical-Controller Attachment, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a device which is adapted to be applied to an electric car-controller for the purpose of requiring the motorman to dwell at each notch when throwing on the electric power for driving a car forward.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and cheap device that can at will be applied to and removed from the top of the ordinary controller and which is so constructed that it is impossible to turn the handle so as to throw on power for driving a car forward without stopping at each notch, but which allows the handle to be turned freely for throwing off power and also for throwing on power for driving a car backward.

The device has a frame which is adapted to be removably placed between the stoplugs for the current-handle and the reversing-1e ver and which has swinging pawls that successively engage a lug projecting from the handle and stop the handle at each notch. until by a movement of the grip of the handle a plunger depresses the pawl that is in engagement with the lug out of the path, so as to permit the handle to move to the next notch. In the frame is a ring with wedges arranged beneath the ends of several of the pawls, so that when the ring is turned those pawls will be tipped out of the path of the lug on the handle. The ring is held with the Wedges disengaged from the pawls by a spring and is adapted to be moved so that the wedges tip the pawls by a lever, which is oscillated when the reversing-lever is turned for reversing the power, so that the car will be driven backwardly.

Figure l of the accompanying drawings shows a plan of the cover'of a controller with one of these devices applied thereto, a part of the cover-plate of the device being broken away to show the construction. Fig. 2 shows a side elevation of the upper end of a controller-box and the attachment. Fig. 3 shows a Serial No. 202,006. (No model.)

plan of a part of the frame with the cover removed. Fig. 4 shows a horizontal section of a part of the frame, taken below the level of the swinging pawls. vation of a portion of the current-handle and a sectional View of a portion of the frame. Fig. 6 shows a vertical section taken through the handle, also the relative positions of the stop-lug, and releasing-plunger on the handle and one of the swinging pawls.

The drawings show the device applied to the cover 1 of one of the most common forms of controllers in use. This cover-has the ordinary stop-lug 2 for limiting the movement of the current-handle and the arch-shaped wall 3 for retaining and limiting the movement of i the reversing-lever.

The frame 45 has a notch 5. adapted to fit the handle stop-lug, and feet 6,, adapted to rest against the ends of the lever-wall. The frame has an opening through which the upper end of the controller-spindle extends, and a channel 7, arranged annularly about the spindleopening. In this channel are the stop-pawls 8. These pawls are provided with trunnions 9, which loosely rest in sockets 10, formed in the walls of the channel. The pawls are held in position by the cover-plate 117 which is fastened to the top of the frame, so as to hold down the trunnions, but leave the upper ends of the pawls exposed. The lower ends of these pawls are weighted, so that they will drop down and normally hold the upper ends in such position that they will engage a lug projecting from the handle. The upper ends of the pawls are so shaped that they obstruct the movement of the handle in one direction by engaging the lug, but allow the lug to pass freely over them when the handle is moved in the opposite direction. These pawls are located so as to stop the handle at the several notches of the controller. In the annular channel beneath the lower ends of the pawls and limiting their movement in one direction is a ringlEZ. Beneath several of the pawls, preferably the first four, this ring has upwardly-projecting wedges 13. A spring 14 is connected between a stud 15, attached to the ring, and a pin 16, extending from wall to wall across the channel. This spring normally Fig. 5 shows a side eleholds the wedges on the ring in front of the lower ends of the pawls.

In a part of the frame is a lever 17, which has an end extending in front of a lug 18, that projects from the edge of the ring, and an end extending in front of a lug 19, which projects from the sleeve 20, that is adapted to receive and be fastened to the reversing-lever. \Vhen the reversing-lever is removed or when it is in position and is turned so that the power will drive the car forward, the lug projecting from the sleeve fastened to the reversing-lever is out of engagement with the connecting-lever; but when the reversing-lever is turned so that the power will be reversed the lug engages and oscillates the connecting-lever, so that the ring is given an annular movement and the wedges on the ring are carried beneath the lower ends of the pawls and so oscillate them that their upper ends are turned down out of the path of the lug projecting from the handle. \Vhen the reversing-lever is turned from the reverse position, the ring is released, so that its spring carries the lugs from beneath the pawls and allows them to resume their normal positions. It is preferred that only four of the lugs be tipped out of active position by the turning back of the reversing-lever; but of course more or less could be tipped in the same manner.

The current-hamlle 21 has a socket which fits the upper end 22 of the controller-spindle, and it also has a finger 23, which is adapted to extend over the edge of the frame into a groove 24:, so that when the handle is in use it cannot be lifted off the spindle or raised up, as by placing washers beneath it, so that the stop-lug 25 will pass over the pawls. The frame is provided with a notch 26 near the starting-point of the handle, so that this finger can be entered into the groove. The stop-lug 25 is fixed with relation to the handle. When the handle is on the controller-spindle and the pawls are in their normal position, the face of this lug engagesthe front upper edge of each pawl as the handle is turned forwardly and the handle cannot be moved farther until the end of the pawl engaged by the lug is depressed out of the path of the lug. In the handle-bar is a plunger 27, which is normally raised by a spring 528, but is adapted to be thrust downwardly just in front of the fixed lug by the downward movementof the handgrip 29, Fig. 5, which engages an arm 30, that is attached to the upper end of the plunger. The grip is free to move up and down on the spindle 31 atthe end of the handle-bar. \Yhen the grip is depressed, it engages the arm and causes the lower end of the plunger to be thrust downwardly in front of the stop-lug. The handle is placed upon the upper end of the controller-spindle in the off position, and whenit is turned from that position the finger enters the groove around the wall of the frame, so that the handle cannot be lifted off or raised up until turned back to the off po sition. \Vhen the handle is turned, the stoplug engages the upper end of each pawl as it comes to it. After the handle has been stopped by the engagement of the lug with a pawlthe grip is depressed, so that the plunger will force down the end of the pawl that is engaging the lug and stopping the handle. When this end of the pawl is pushed out of the way, the handle can be moved to the next pawl, which stops it until the grip is again depressed and the pawl pushed out of the way. This is repeated as the lug on the handle reaches each pawl. The handle cannot get past the notch until the stopping pawl is pushed out of the way by depressing the grip. It is no use to depress the grip until the lug has engaged a pawl and the handle is stopped, for pushing down the plunger before a pawl is reached simply causes the pawl to engage the plunger instead of the lug. It is impossible to depress a pawl until the lug has engaged it. Then the disengagement can be easily accomplished by depressing the grip. This insures the stopping of the handle at each notch when the power is being thrown on. The upper ends of the pawls are so shaped that they are pushed out of the way when the handle is being turned for throwing off the power. In an emergency if it is not suflicient to simply throw off the power the reversing-lever is turned and the current reversed, which movement causes certain of the pawls to be turned down out of the path of the stop-lug, so that the handle may be turned for throwing on the reversed power without stopping at each notch.

With this device applied to a controller a motorman is required to stop at each notch when he is throwing on power for driving the car forwardly; but he can instantly throw off the power without stopping at each notch and he can also instantly throw on the power in a reverse direction without stopping at each notch if it is necessary to avert accident.

The device is removable and can be quickly applied to or removed from the controller at either end of a car or transferred from one car to another.

For various sizes and styles of controllers the frame is made in slightly different shapes and the pawls spaced differently; but these changes do not affect the function or mode of operation of the mechanism.

The invention claimed is- 1. An attachment for an electric controller having a frame, pawls supported by the frame, a handle with a part adapted to be successively engaged by the pawls, a part adapted to cause the disengagement of the pawls and a movable hand-grip for turning the handle and for moving the pawl-disengaging part, substantially as specified.

2. An attachment for an electric controller having a frame, pawls supported by the frame,

a handle with a part adapted to be successively engaged by the pawls and means for causing the disengagement of the pawls, and means for moving pawls out of the path of the handle-engaging part when the reversinglever is turned to reverse the power, substantially as specified.

3. An attachment for an electric controller having a frame, pawls supported by the frame, a handle with a part adapted to be successively engaged by the pawls, a part adapted to cause the disengagement of the pawls, and a finger adapted to extend from the handle into an annular groove in the frame, substantially as specified.

4. An attachment for an electric controller having a frame with an opening for the controller-spindle, an annular channel, swinging pawls located in the channel, aring located in the channel beneath the pawls and having wedges adapted to engage the lower ends of some ofthe pawls, a lever adapted to engage and move the ring when the reversing-lever is turned to reverse the power, a handle having a part adapted to be successively engaged by the pawls and a part adapted to cause the disengagement of the pawls, substantially as specified. V I

5. An attachment for an electric controller having a frame with an opening for the controller-spindle, a notch for receiving-the handle stop-lug, feet for engaging the reversinglever stop-wall and an annular channel, pawls located in the channel, and a handle having a part adapted to be successively engaged by the pawls and a part adapted to cause the disengagement of the pawls, substantially as specified.

6. An attachment for an electric controller having a frame with an opening for the controller-spindle, an annular channel, a notch for receiving the handle stop-lug, an annular groove for receiving a handle -finger, feet adapted to engage the reversing-lever stopwall, pawls located in the annular channel, a ring located in the channel beneath the pawls, wedges projecting upwardly from the ring beneath some of the pawls, a spring adapted to hold the ring in one position, a lever adapted to move the ring and carry the lugs beneath the pawls when the reversing-lever is turned to reverse the power, a handle having a finger adapted to extend into the groove in the frame, a lug adapted to be engaged by the upper ends of the pawls, a plunger adapted to depress the pawls out of engagement with the lug and a grip adapted to move the plunger, substantially as specified.

7. A controller handle having a socket adapted to fit the upper end of a controllerspindle, a lug adapted to be engaged by stoppawls, a plunger adapted to disengage pawls from the lug, and a movable grip for turning the handle and depressing the plunger, substantially as specified.

ALBERT H. MATHEWSON.

Witnesses:

ETHEL M. LOWE, H. R. WILLIAMS. 

